Posted on

Two Pitches On Futurist Products

Pitch One: Social Networking for the Futurist. This app would allow people interested in technological advances and research to quickly access articles by various futurist and scientist. The app would also connect users to libraries that will have articles available on various topics. The app would also allow users to upload files for sharing and an instant messenger. The idea is to promote communication between futurist to help in their future studies research and creating scenarios. It would allow futurist mid-discussion to seek relevant information on the topic to enhance in the exchange of ideas with other futurist.

Pitch Two: A biographical book about the creator of The Futurist magazine and the World Future Society. No one has ever written about Edward Cornish except Edward Cornish. His life is a fascinating tale about how his passion for the future began as a boy when he attended the World’s Fair in 1939 then blossomed into the motivation for the creation of the futurist movement in the United States.

Posted on

It’s The Middle Of The Term: The Journey Leads To The Future

“Follow me if you will on my journey into the futura bazaar.” –Futura Bazaar

When I wrote this on one of my first posts, I didn’t know how this statement would guide me to find out about an entire group of enthusiast I never knew about, the futurist.

Edward Cornish was a journalist that became alarmed by the growing tensions of the Cold War in the early 1960’s. He decided to start a newsletter called The Futurist in 1966, which included his musings on what future life would be like in the next 50 years. After getting positive feedback, he gathered with like-minded professionals in different fields to begin the World Future Society. The newsletter grew into a full-fledged magazine by 1967. To this day, the organization exist and it publishes a bi-monthly issue of The Futurist.

Like Cornish, I also am a journalist and quite often become alarmed at the violent events happening around the world. I am also interested in writing about the future and how as a society we can discuss and create our future instead of being captives of it.

During research for my topic, I came across the World Future Society website and was able to contact the president of the organization. She encouraged me to join in discussions and events with other futurist, and encouraged me to submit an article to The Futurist if I felt compelled to do so. I was elated to find this group of like-minded professionals and discover the story of Edward Cornish.

“Just as many inventions have changed the course of humanity, so will the current digital revolution we are experiencing.”-Futura Bazaar

Part of the futurist ethos, is looking at what could happen as gaged by current technological advances. One aspect looks at the fact that computers are now woven into the fabric of our lives, with new devices created to intertwine them into our lives even more.

How far will we go? How far should we go?

These are questions as a society we continue to ask ourselves as we race to keep up with changing technology. For my part, I want to write articles that will make people think about the future and foster discussion among their pier groups.

I was fortunate enough to interview Rosye Cloud, Director of the Office of Transition, Employment & Economic Impact in the U.S Department of Veteran Affairs, for one of my articles. I spoke with her about how leaders at the VA were making progress on implementing needed changes after the Veterans Affair Scandal of 2014. I also like the article I wrote about Veteran Journalist and the Future of Shopping. I enjoyed writing these articles because they presented elements of the past, present, and then future of the subject. I hope to write more articles like this.

Posted on

A Bit About Futura Bazaar: Take 2

A near futurist looking at the possibilities of societal changes generated by changing technology. What could life be like and when could it happen?

Technology has always fascinated me. When I was a little child, my parents lived across the street from a radio station tower. I used to stare at its red flashing lights at night from my bedroom window. I would frighten myself by thinking of it falling and crashing into our house, surely ending the lives of my family. I would gaze in a dreamlike trance at the giant glowing towers imagining my voice being broadcast across the region.

A tape recorder my parents gave me for my 10th birthday served as my first venture into broadcasting and acting. I would make up commercials, interview guest, perform my own radio show, and create different characters using my voice. One of my favorite characters to voice today is the “octogenarian” I created when I was a kid.

As a child I also made secret recordings like the Candid Camera or Punk’d shows. My family sometimes didn’t think that was very funny, but of course I thought it was hilarious.

In my teenage years, I became involved in studying communications, journalism, marketing, performing arts, and broadcasting in school. I eventually earned a Bachelor of Science in Journalism. I also kept pursuing my love of the performing arts and language by getting minors in dance, German, and Spanish.

My childhood dream now fulfilled I now work in Radio. I have also worked in TV and Film. Periodically, I will take work in acting, theater, and choreography. I’ve worked on the East and West Coast, but I’m currently enjoying the Midwest.

I look at communications as an art and one that is constantly changing as new technology is created. I’m currently pursuing my Masters in Interactive Media. I look to continue my journey of enhancing the skills, which allow me to create my functional art with better expertise.

I hope my musings will be informational and entertaining as I focus on the possibilities of life in the near future. Follow me if you will on my journey into the futura bazaar.

Posted on

The Futurist App

The Futurist App.

This ap would be a source for futurist to be able to access information about the field anywhere with a mobile smart phone or pad. The subheadings would be Entrepreneurs, Thinkers, Links to Libraries/Journals, and Upcoming Events. The goal of the ap would be to facilitate communication between futurist of all types by making it easy to access topical information for use is discussions.

1. The Title Page

A. Entrepreneurs
i. Links to Blogs and articles

B. Thinkers
i. Links to blogs and articles

C. Links To Libraries/Journals
i. Links to libraries
ii. Links to Journals

D. Upcoming Events
i. Local Meet-ups
ii. Conferences

E. Chat

Posted on

Edward Cornish: Founder of the World Future Society

The man who was a founder of future studies in the United States is journalist Edward Cornish. He does not have a Wikipedia page.

Edward Cornish (1927- ) is the founder and first President of the World Future Society. He is also a published futurist writer and the founding editor of The Futurist magazine (1966-2010).

Cornish was born in 1927 in New York City. His father George A. Cornish (1902-May 14, 1989) was the managing editor and executive editor of The New York Herald Tribune. Cornish graduated from Harvard.

Cornish began his writing career at the Evening Star in Washington as a copy boy and then eventually was promoted to a cub reporter. He later became a United Press correspondent. Cornish worked at United Press for six years in five different cities including London, Paris, and Rome. He then went on to work as a writer for the National Geographic Society in Washington before creating The Futurist magazine and the WFS.

Cornish has said that the 1939 New York World’s Fair and especially the General Motors “Futurama” exhibit was a strong influence. He also has written that the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) were part of what prompted him to become a futurist writer. Cornish wrote “the study of the future might help the cause of world peace” in the first issue of The Futurist in 1966.
The popularity of The Futurist prompted Cornish to create the World Future Society in 1966.

Cornish is the author of many essays and journals as well as his only published book Futuring: The Exploration of the Future. (WFS. 2004. 313 pages. Paperback. ISBN 0-930242-61-0.) It’s described by the WFS as a comprehensive guide to the study of the future.

Cornish is now retired living with his son Jeff Cornish in Rockville, Maryland.

Posted on

A Son’s Look At Futurist Edward Cornish

Edward Cornish is the founder of The Futurist magazine and the World Futurist Society. He retired last year at the age of 87. I wanted to know more about Cornish but I found there was little biographical information about him and he did not have a Wikipedia page. I corresponded with the World Future Society and their representative put in me in contact with Jeff Cornish, Ed’s son. Jeff was kind enough to issue this information about his father. Here is his e-mail correspondence verbatim.

“Ed was born in New York City in 1927. His father was George Cornish, managing editor of the New York Herald Tribune. The 1939 New York World’s Fair and especially the General Motors “Futurama” exhibit was a strong influence. After graduating from Harvard, Ed went to work as a copy boy and then cub reporter for the Evening Star in Washington. He became a United Press correspondent in London, Paris, and Rome moving on to National Geographic and the story of the founding of WFS in “The Search for Foresight.”

“He’s now retired and living with me [his son] in Rockville, MD.”

Jeff Cornish recommended anyone wanting to know about his father’s role in creating the World Future Society to read
“The Search for Foresight” by Edward Cornish.

Posted on

Customer Centric: The Possible Future of Veterans Affairs

Last year’s Veterans Affairs Scandal was the hot topic as news of at least 35 veterans passed away while waiting for care at the VA in Phoenix run by the Veterans Health Administration. Other locations were found to be suffering from the same long wait times that were putting veterans lives at stake.

The result, several resignations, including Secretary of Veteran Affairs Eric Shinseki, at least a few firings, and disciplinary actions.

Now with Secretary Robert McDonald at the helm, the future of the VA seems to be one that will be restructured with a “customer centric” service. Not surprising language considering McDonald’s 33 years at Proctor & Gamble.

President Obama spoke about the VA in April saying that it was “chipping away” at previous problems and issues uncovered during the scandal.

“We’ve brought in a new team that has been tackling these issues to make sure that wait times for scheduling, access to providers is greatly improved, but what we know is there is still more work to do.”

Secretary McDonald began the MyVA initiative that divides the country in five regions with leaders who will make changes necessary to carry out the goals of the “veteran focused” program. The MyVA initiative launched in September 2014 and the MyVA Advisory Committee met for the first time in April 2015. The members will help to lie out plans to improve services to veterans, enhance the performance of VA workers, and make long-term adjustments to reform the entire VA.

One part of the MYVA initiative is to help veterans find jobs when they leave military service. Rosye Cloud, Director of the Office of Transition, Employment & Economic Impact in the U.S Department of Veteran Affairs said they have launched the Veterans Economic Communities Initiative in 25 out of 50 participating cities. The VA has appointed liaisons in each city that will work within the community to find opportunities for veterans.

“It is our opportunity to take our national level resources and partnerships to the local level by working closely with our service organizations, employers, and civic leaders,” said Cloud.

The initiative will work with local businesses to help find employment opportunities by holding job fairs and other employment events.

When asked about if progress is being made to avoid problems like those uncovered in last year’s scandal, Cloud said the MyVA initiative is meant to reorganize the entire VA.

“I think Secretary McDonald has been very clear that the VA will transform to be much more customer centric,” said Cloud. “Our mantra is we will provide the best customer service by putting the veteran at the center of all that we do. The MyVA Initiative is the catalyst for our transformation.”

While the results won’t be out for a while about how the MyVA initiative is working, one recent event may be a clue to how the new VA will operate. After the VA spent over one million dollars to battle for many years reservist veterans wanting benefits who were exposed to Agent Orange between 1969 and 1986, the VA has finally relented and agreed to give them full benefits.

A surprising move considering a VA consultant on the matter once described the group of vets as “freeloaders” and said they only wanted to “cash in on tax-free money for health issues that originate from their lifestyles and aging.” Secretary McDonald recently said the opposite saying that ruling their illnesses as service-connected is “the right thing to do.” The over 2,000 veterans will now get disability payments, medical care, dependency benefits, indemnity compensation and burial.

It’s not clear if the new MyVA initiative will create the changes needed at the VA, but at least it seems to be heading in the direction of making the VA more reactive to veterans needs. The future VA may finally care for those that cared for their country.

Posted on

Those That Dream Of Things To Come

Followers of the Futura Bazaar are interested in how personal and organizational choices will form the future. They come here to read scenarios of future possibilities and share the dreams and thoughts of tomorrow. They share the past, face the present, and look forward to the future. They recognize that their decisions today may affect many tomorrows. Here, they gain and share insight then look at the potential gains or losses due to present choices. They know a solid vision of a potential future clears the path to making it a reality. They also use the hashtag #FutureTalk whenever posting on social media so other futurist may easily access their posts.

Posted on

Setting Up A Future Interview

A large part of the job as a journalist is spent doing interviews. That is usually a main source of content for most journalism pieces. But to get that critical information an interview must be set up first. This is what makes or breaks journalists; their ability to get interviews. In my experience, it is best to leave a good impression if you ever want to talk to that person again. Part of that is being professional in your correspondence with whoever is setting up the interview time.

I will explain the best steps to take in professionally corresponding with contacts to set up interviews. In this example I will show how to correspond with a contact from a press release. This is typically how most government offices release information to the media.

1. Read the entire press release and locate the contact number.

2. Decide what your angle will be and if you need to research additional information before your interview.

3. E-mail or voicemail the listed contact asking for a specific time to conduct the interview.

a. Make sure to briefly describe the topic of the interview.

b. Let the contact know if it will be pre-recorded or live.

c. If the contact is not the person you would like to interview then be sure to ask for the person you need.

d. Be polite and business appropriate in your language and presentation.

e. Make sure your title and contact information are listed under name at the end of the e-mail. If leaving a voicemail, make sure to leave your contact information with the contact person.

4. Wait for a response.

5. After receiving a response, make sure to reply immediately. It is not unusual for contacts to have questions and a quick response is always helpful in the process of setting up the interview.

6. Confirm the day and time.

7. Say thank you. Always, always, always.

8. Make sure that you inform the contact person immediately if you need to change the time; otherwise, make sure you are ready at the time you scheduled for the interview.

Here is a sample e-mail to a contact:

Mr. Vance White-

I would like to conduct a telephone interview with you or someone else knowledgeable about the recent incident on the city bus where a man was attacked. I would like to know how the bus line will be helping police in the investigation and if there are plans to increase security on buses. I am hoping to conduct the interview this morning between 10-11 a.m. Please let me know if this is possible or if another time would be better. You can reach me right now at 555-3333.

Regards,

Sally Thomas
Reporter/News 9
Office: 333-4444
Cell: 555-3333

Here is an example of a voicemail message:

Hi, this is Sally Thomas with News 9. My number is 555-3333 I am interested in speaking to someone about the recent incident on the city bus where a man was attacked. I am hoping to set up an interview for 10 o’clock this morning. I was told you were the person to contact about this so please call me back at your earliest convenience. Again, this is Sally Thomas with News 9. You can reach me at 555-3333….that’s 555-3333. Thank you.

Posted on

My Future Shopping Fantasy

The school assignment called for me to interview an older member of my family about what has changed since they were children. I was in 4th grade and I had to make a presentation in class about the person I interviewed. I recorded the interview on my cassette tape recorder that I used to carry around and secretly tape my family. I still have many of these recordings and once in a while I’ll listen again.

My Grandma Kimberly spoke about missing the fresh milk her mother had delivered to their home. The delivery service came by a horse-drawn cart. She explained the delivery man would pick up the empty bottles and leaves ones filled with fresh milk. She shared that there was also a service that delivered fresh eggs. That seemed fascinating to me since I grew up in a supermarket world with bargain bins and blue light specials.

Grocers are now trying to create a more open market style that tries to emanate a positive organic shopping experience. While these new enhancements, I believe, make shopping a little less hectic and sterile, I still have to make a trip to the store.

Milk, eggs, and bread. What everyone flocks to the store to buy when bad weather is approaching and what families are frequently finding their low on stock.

“Hey, there’s a snow storm approaching! I better get my milk, eggs, and bread lest my family starve for the day it takes to get the roads clear.”

“Oh no, a possible tornado! I better get my milk, eggs, and bread in case we have to cook over a candle when the power goes out.”

“It’s been a few days since I went to the store. Let’s see what do I need. Oh yes, milk, eggs, and bread.”

This is when I think of Grandma and her delivery service. I envision a drone or driverless car pulling up to my home with my groceries in tow, which my refrigerator automatically ordered for me when it noticed I was running low. The refrigerator will also keep track of what my family eats and can make suggestions based on the contents stored inside. The service could even put my groceries away.

The refrigerator is hooked up to my grocery account and the payment is automatically deducted from my bank account. The purchase is then transferred to my digital checkbook that notes the purchase and classifies the objects bought. The program will then give me monthly reports on my purchases.

While some of this technology is still in the works, there are smart refrigerators on the market that tell you when you’re running out of items you need. That’s connected to an ap that tells you you’re out. There are groceries that deliver and there are stand-alone shopping/delivery businesses. Some will even put your groceries away for you. These services are becoming more affordable, but can still be pricey.

This doesn’t quite reach my future shopping fantasy but it’s getting close. So for now I’m stuck heading out to get some milk, eggs, and bread on my own. One day I hope my grandchild will ask me how things have changed and I can tell the tale of how I used to drive to the grocery for purchases instead of having them delivered.